The Best Wisconsin Football Games by Week: Week Eight

MADISON, Wis. – The Big Ten returned to action last weekend, but BadgerBlitz.com is still turning back the clock to pick the best/most meaningful Wisconsin regular-season games.

To make it more interesting, we’re picking the best games of a specific week: the best season openers, the best week two games, week three, etc, of the modern era (since 1947). Some weeks won’t be a fair fight, as the number of games has increased over that time (nine games until 1965, 10 games until 1971, 11 games in 1997 and mostly 12 since) with the addition of more non-conference games, but the impact these games had for Wisconsin can’t be disputed.

RELATED: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 |

Our pick for Wisconsin’s best week eight game of the modern era: October 30, 1999, vs. No.24 Michigan.

The Rose Bowl was suddenly a real reality for the University of Wisconsin.

Two years after going 0-8 in the Big Ten, not to mention going 10-48 over a five-year period, the Badgers started 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 1981 and 6-0 for the first time since 1912. Those hopes took a series gut punch when the Badgers suffered a 28-21 defeat at Minnesota in the Metrodome, stunning considering the Gophers were 3-4 at the time and finished 4-7. It was the classic look-ahead game considering Wisconsin was facing No.24 Michigan and No.3 Ohio State at Camp Randall in back-to-back weeks.

Starting the year at No.3 in the country, Michigan spent the first two months of the season stuck in inconsistency and came to Madison with a 4-3 record. Despite the struggles, the Wolverines still had three All-Americans on their team – tailback Tyrone Wheatley, defensive lineman Buster Stanley and cornerback Ty Law (not to mention a number of future NFL players) – and Wisconsin’s number. The Badgers had lost nine straight games to Michigan, hadn’t beat the Wolverines since 1981 and were outscored in their previous two meetings by a combined 65-3.

Sitting now a game behind Ohio State in the standings and hosting the Buckeyes the following week, Wisconsin had to figure out a way to break the Michigan hex if it wanted to make a run for the roses.

Wisconsin was bound and determined not to be pushed around by Michigan any longer. Relying on its offensive line, the heartbeat of the Wisconsin attack, the Badgers punished Michigan’s defensive line by racking up 225 rushing yards in delivering a 13-10 victory.

UW’s first two scoring drives ended in short field goals, but how the Badgers got there was important, as the offense delivered drives that ran 16 plays and 22 plays to gas Michigan’s defense. The Wolverines didn’t do themselves any favors with their inability to tackle Brent Moss or Terrell Fletcher and allow quarterback Darrell Bevell to complete third-and-medium situations with dump passes over the middle of the field.

With 2:34 before halftime, Bevell guided the offense with short passes down the field, including and a 21-yard completion to Lee DeRamus, that set up Fletcher. Dancing around a blitz in the backfield, Fletcher found a gap and ran 12 yards into the end zone to make it 13-3 at halftime.

The Badgers were held scoreless in the second half by Michigan’s suddenly swarming defense, but UW’s defense was up to the task. Sandwiched around Michigan lone touchdown drive was two significant series. On a drive that started on Michigan’s 2 and advanced to the UW 14, the Badgers forced a controversial fumble that the Badgers recovered in the third quarter, despite Michigan’s protest that the ground caused the fumble. The other turnover was an interception by Jeff Messenger in one-on-one coverage inside UW’s 15. When Wisconsin held Michigan on a fourth-and-9 in Badgers territory late in the game, the Badgers finished off the victory.

The monumental victory wasn’t enjoyed for long. As approximately 12,000 students rushed to try and get on the field, spectators near the front of the chain-link fence became crushed. When the fence gave way, a dangerous dog pile occurred that stopped the players’ celebration and turned them into first responders. Over 70 people were injured, seven critically, with scores of broken bones and fans who lost consciousness.

“It was the scariest thing I've ever seen,” offensive tackle Joe Panos said. “I had to do what I had to do. A couple of them were blue, literally blue.”

Playing back at home a week later, and with the student section reconfigured to prevent future problems, Wisconsin missed a chance to knock off No.3 Ohio State late and settled for a 14-14 tie. Needing to win its final two games and have the Buckeyes falter once, Wisconsin got what it needed when the Badgers beat Illinois, Michigan helped out the Badgers by blanking Ohio State in the season finale and UW won against Michigan State in Tokyo.

Co-Big Ten champions with the Buckeyes, Wisconsin went to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1962 and defeated UCLA to cap off a 10-1-1 season that ranks them as one of the best teams in program history.